"My Most Unforgettable Art Supply Moment" is a series of short interviews with seasoned artists who have survived substantial combat in the great war of the graphic arts. Each participant was asked the same five questions.

Jim Sizemore was a Visual Information Specialist in the art department of the Social Security Administration from 1963 until 1988, where he earned the proud distinction of pasting up the pages of the first Medicare Handbook ever. Since then, he has been a freelance cartoonist, blogger, and teacher. His gag cartoons have been published in The Saturday Evening Post, Barron’s, Medical Economics, National Enquirer, TV Guide, and The Wall Street Journal, to name a few.

He has taught the history of cartooning to graduate students at the University of Baltimore; cartooning classes to undergrads at Johns Hopkins University; summer cartooning workshops to middle school children at both public and private schools, as well as at the Walters Art Museum. His one-hour “Cartooning For Kids” introduction to cartooning has been attended by thousands of children over the fifteen years he’s presented it at libraries and schools in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware and Washington DC, and at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Lots to see at Jim’s Doodlemeister.com blog, as well as hundreds of his cartoons at CartoonStock.com.

Curator's note: The mid-60s photo of Jim shown here is somewhat of a treasure trove of forgotten art supplies frozen in time, and running it here full-column width allows us to properly savor every one of them.

Actually, it was a series of "worst" art supply experiences! It was way back in the days before anyone had ever thought of such a thing as a PowerPoint presentation. I was a Visual Information Specialist for the Social Security Administration. The job included a lot of late night overtime -- even the occasional all-nighter -- preparing large statistical charts that the SSA Commissioner used in his presentations to Congress. I was a very fast layout man, so it was usually my job to plot the points on the "fever" charts, rough in the percentage slices of pie charts, etc., and hand off my pencil layouts to the Speedball pen and brush letterers. Then it was back to me to add Chartpak tape to the plot lines, Pantone color paper cutouts of the pie chart slices and to erase the penciled lettering and stat guides. I LOVED the fast and dynamic layout stage, but I HATED that Chartpak tape and color paper … not to mention all that erasing!

2. Other than your first answer, is there an art supply that you’ve hated having to use more than any other?

The electric eraser – you can see it there on the windowsill behind me in the photo. I kept it out of sight there, so I'd "forget" I had it. Using the damn thing required a light touch, and I was more the slap-dash-speedy sort. I’d usually press too hard and destroy some part of a cartoon I'd just inked, or a type galley, or an expensive 30" x 40" sheet of illustration board.

3. On the other hand, can you think of an especially favorite art supply that you miss the most that has unfortunately left us for that big art supply heaven in the sky?

My trusty-dusty Roto Tray (note its place of honor in the picture) probably doesn't completely qualify as being “forgotten,” at least not by me, but Roto Trays have been around as long as I can remember. I use it just about every day. It's a dandy desktop storage setup for all kinds of pens, pencils, X-acto knives, erasers, and rulers. Besides its clever lazy susan design, it's a beautiful object. Plus… it's fun to spin!

4. Are there any other art supplies that you’ve just plain thrown away that you wish you still had?

Just the other day, I put a capped Sharpie Fine Point in the breast pocket of my favorite shirt, only to discover later that it had somehow managed to leak. Of course, now the shirt can only be worn under a sweater. So I've been reminded once again how much I love and miss my nerdy clear plastic pocket protector. Look closely at the picture and you can make it out, complete with a pen or two inserted. Also likely in that same pocket -- at least until 1973, when I quit cold turkey -- was a pack of Lucky Strikes.

5. At one time or another, a lot of us have purchased something that we thought was soooo cool when we saw it at the art supply store, then we ended up never ever using it. Has this ever happened to you?

That would be my Koh-I-Noor Pen Cleaning Kit. It cost me $19.38 -- I still have it and the price sticker is on the box.

"My Most Unforgettable Art Supply Moment" is a series of short interviews with seasoned artists who have survived substantial combat in the great war of the graphic arts. Each participant was asked the same five questions.

Detroit-born Daniel Pelavin learned the crafts of typography and design under the tutelage of Detroit's professional art studios and type houses. From his earliest work produced with draftsman’s tools, to his present day digital virtuosity, he has used a restrained and simplified vocabulary of geometric forms, flat colors, and letterforms inspired by a wide range of 20th century ephemera.

His lifetime fascination with letterforms has led him to create fonts that have been influenced by many different historical periods. While some are faithful to traditional forms and others reflect a unique take on idioms of the past, all are designed to be tools which provide a designer the inspiration to explore his or her own creative vision. See Daniel’s amazing work at www.pelavin.com.

1. Can you recall for us your worst most unforgettable art supply experience?

My love of art supplies was actually the strongest motivation for being in this business in the first place -- which is why I insist on living no more than 2-1/2 minutes away from Pearl Paint. However, the possible inhalation of various art supplies over time has softened my memory of unpleasant experiences. I’ve survived bubbly/wrinkled/torn Cello-tak; partial amputation by #11 X-acto; infuriatingly clogged rapidographs; spills and leakages of everything from india ink to Bestine to rubber cement (both one- and two-coat); the dreaded capillary action that causes ink to run and smear under templates and french curves; jams and malfunctions of stat cameras, processors and phototypesetters; and work burnt unrecognizable while in the dry mount press.

2. Other than your first answer, is there an art supply that you’ve hated having to use more than any other?

The airbrush provides the greatest opportunity for art supply fuckups. Take your choice of leaky frisket or one that takes the illustration surface up with it. Throw in unexpected spurts and splatters, the ear-splitting rumble of a compressor jiggling its way across the room, or the certainty that you will run out of air mid-deadline. And, of course, those dangerous unpleasant vapors which thinly coat all surfaces and make surprise appearances when you blow your nose. Not to mention the onerous task of airbrush maintenance and cleaning.

3. On the other hand, can you think of an especially favorite art supply that you miss the most that has unfortunately left us for that big art supply heaven in the sky?

4. Are there any other art supplies that you’ve just plain thrown away that you wish you still had?

Throw away art supplies? Seriously?

5. At one time or another, a lot of us have purchased something that we thought was soooo cool when we saw it at the art supply store, then we ended up never ever using it. Has this ever happened to you?

Mechanical pencils of every variety, leads of every shape and hardness, and an assortment of both electric and mechanical sharpeners, all purchased in the futile search to draw the perfect line.

"My Most Unforgettable Art Supply Moment" is a series of short interviews with seasoned artists who have survived substantial combat in the great war of the graphic arts. Each participant was asked the same five questions.

When an injury abruptly ended her ballet career with New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, Clare Vanacore turned her creative attention toward the visual arts, enrolling in The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Since then, her technological and industrial landscapes have been seen in such publications as Time Magazine, and have been featured in several published collected works, including Outstanding American Artists Today, published in Japan by Graphic-Sha. She currently resides in Northern California.

1. Can you recall for us your worst most unforgettable art supply experience?

Nothing awful has ever happened to me directly as a result of art supplies, although I guess a portfolio would be considered an art supply. One day, I was delivering my portfolio to a client in Manhattan. I was wearing a new wide-brimmed suede hat that I had paid way way too much for, and a pigeon shit on my head. I didn’t see him, but felt the “plop” before this white stuff started dripping from the brim. First I was horrified. Then I was pissed. By the time I got to the client, I was laughing out loud.

2. Other than your first answer, is there an art supply that you’ve hated having to use more than any other?

The Wacom tablet. Supposedly, it can be set to feel like your favorite pencil, pen or brush. But it just doesn’t work for me. It’s wonderful for retouching in Photoshop, but as far as drawing, I need to feel the magic of pencil to paper. I just scan it into the computer afterwards.

3. On the other hand, can you think of an especially favorite art supply that you miss the most that has unfortunately left us for that big art supply heaven in the sky?

Most of the time, I’ve used my Canon AE-1 camera as my sketch pad, but there’s a lot less slide film around than there used to be.

4. Are there any other art supplies that you’ve just plain thrown away that you wish you still had?

I’ve never thrown any art supplies away. I may not be able to lay my hands on them, but I’ve never thrown any away.

5. At one time or another, a lot of us have purchased something that we thought was soooo cool when we saw it at the art supply store, then we ended up never ever using it. Has this ever happened to you?

Packages of oragami paper. Typical exquisite Japanese packaging! To open them… what, and destroy that beautifully designed block of fanned-out papers?

It's hard to admit at times, but there are brand names so sentimentally ingrained within our 20th Century consumer psyche, that their disappearance would feel like the death of a loved one. Maybe none more so than Kodak, but that's exactly what happened when the company filed Chapter 11 this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, thus going to that big pop culture world's fair in the sky. They leave behind a $6.8 billion debt, and an even bigger hole in our materialistic lives than when Polaroid bit the dust in 2001. There are talks of reorganizing, blah blah blah, but experts seem to agree that it doesn't look good at all. Let's face it... for the Pepsi Generation, life was a Kodak moment! Or so it seemed.

"My Most Unforgettable Art Supply Moment" is a series of short interviews with seasoned artists who have survived substantial combat in the great war of the graphic arts. Each participant was asked the same five questions.

Randall Enos has been an icon in American illustration and cartooning for 56 years. Born “at a very early age” in the former whaling city of New Bedford, MA, he claims to “have always known what he’s wanted to be: an aging balding magazine illustrator.” Basically self-taught, his work has appeared in virtually every major American magazine. “Except The New Yorker,” adds Randy. “It doesn’t matter, though, because everyone I talk to thinks I’ve worked for The New Yorker. And the same goes for the Society of Illustrators. Everybody seems to think I’ve won a medal at SI, but I never have.”

His comic strip “Chicken Gutz” held a lengthy major monthly presence during the Golden Age of the National Lampoon, and various television networks have commissioned his art for film animation. He and his wife, Leann, live in Easton, CT, where he is currently working on a yearlong project about the great white whale Mocha Dick, the real life prototype for Melville’s novel.

1. Can you recall for us your worst most unforgettable art supply experience?

My most horrific art supply moment occurred in the early 60s, when I would take any job that came along. I got saddled with a project from McGraw-Hill that entailed, for some reason, putting down tons of Prestype lettering. I don't think there were even any drawings involved, just lettering. My wife watched me laying this stuff down for days -- swearing at each "broken" letter and trying to patch up the next with a pen while straightening out others by scratching them out and pressing down new letters. I had to stay awake for an amazing three days and nights (I was young and could do that then).

Finally by the fourth night with no end in sight, I succumbed to sleep. I blissfully snored through any trepidation about deadlines. When I awoke, panic struck, of course. I realized that it was all due that day and I had not even begun to have it finished. I slunk into my studio to view the looming disaster... and... (are you sitting down?) to my utter shock there was my job completely finished and neatly piled up ready to be delivered. My wife Leann, possessing artistic ability and a complete knowledge of what had to be done on the job, had stayed up all night and finished it for me. WHEW...I still get the willies thinking about it!

2. Other than your first answer, is there an art supply that you’ve hated having to use more than any other?

I hated using a compass with ink to make a circle because it would always blob on me right at the end. Speaking of "blobbing", I did a parody of Terry Gilliam’s animation style for the Lampoon, so I was forced to borrow a tool I was totally unfamiliar with: an AIRBRUSH! It was not a good one and every time I would try to get this smooth landscape going that went continuously for several pages behind my python, the airbrush would spit out a blob or splatter on the page. I would then paint a bush or tree to cover it. Needless to say my landscape was replete with forestry.

3. On the other hand, can you think of an especially favorite art supply that you miss the most that has unfortunately left us for that big art supply heaven in the sky?

Pantone papers, of course. My life-blood. I printed all my linocut-collages on them. They were tough and beautifully colorful but unfortunately were rendered useless in this computer age because designers no longer need them to spec color for printers etc. They’ve even destroyed the machinery that made them. I fortunately still have a small stash and some at the art store, which I am slowly buying up. I also get some from widows of deceased artists. But mainly, I’ve been reduced to coloring my work with Photoshop Pantone Colors.

4. Are there any other art supplies that you’ve just plain thrown away that you wish you still had?

This is a hard one to answer, because I hardly ever throw anything away except my linoblocks when the job is finished (I know, I know, what's my address and when do they pick up the garbage...yeah yeah... forget about it). When I look into some of my cabinets, I'm shocked at some of the old stuff I find. Let's see, I've still got the electric eraser, the French curves, some Letraset, lettering guides, ruling pens, animation pegs, punched animation paper, AND I'm typing this on my OS 9.1 Rasterops computer. I'm blank...can't think of anything I've thrown out that I wish I had.

5. At one time or another, a lot of us have purchased something that we thought was soooo cool when we saw it at the art supply store, then we ended up never ever using it. Has this ever happened to you?

Well...it's not exactly an antique, but I have a Wacom tablet (probably the first one they ever made) which I have NEVER used...but it’s dutifully plugged into my computer. And I loved those adjustable, rubbery strips that you could form into any curve or shape that you needed to trace. Had one...NEVER ever used it.

There...those are my answers and I'm sticking by them come hell or high water... I'm pretty sure.

"My Most Unforgettable Art Supply Moment" is a series of short interviews with seasoned artists who have survived substantial combat in the great war of the graphic arts. Each participant was asked the same five questions.

David Burd insists he had a "mercifully (appropriately?) brief career in the graphic arts, beginning in the ink-and-paint department of an animation sweatshop in New York City." From there, he experienced an even briefer career in comic books (one issue of Tweety & Sylvester for Gold Key), and then more animation work and graphic arts assignments.

The lure of show business took him "from the anonymity of the art studio to the fame (not fortune) of the small screen." There, he admits to using his modest talents to draw (intentionally) funny pictures, and to create both props and costumes. Many times since then, David claims to have looked back upon these years and asked wistfully: "I did what?"

1. Can you recall for us your worst most unforgettable art supply experience?

Most of my bad experiences involve Rapidograph pens - specifically, trying to clean them. My boss at the animation studio used to soak his clogged pens point-down in a jar of water, like he was trying to root a plant cutting. They'd soak there for days, maybe weeks. Then he'd try to use them, realize they were hopelessly caked with dried ink, and throw them out. It was a long process.

Being the clever person that I am, I would boldly take my pen points apart to clean them, fearlessly withdrawing that thin piece of wire -- as fine as a human hair in the case of a 000 pen -- and then try to jam it back in place. It crumpled up into a useless zigzag that could never be properly straightened out. This painful, costly mistake happened several times.

2. Other than your first answer, is there an art supply that you've hated having to use more than any other?

I have a love/hate relationship with the X-acto #11 blade. On the one hand, I love it because nothing can take its place when you need to make a precise cut. On the other hand, I hate it because one of those precise cuts would invariably be in my finger. It's practically guaranteed that if I pick up an X-acto knife I will cut myself within X-actly five minutes.

I had a job once cutting thousands of Rubylith mattes for a motion-graphics animation job. We went through so many X-acto blades that we used to sharpen the dull ones by hand to save money. Using a whetstone, much like the early cavemen did, I'd slide the blade back and forth endlessly until it was razor sharp. Then I'd proceed to give myself a fresh cut. Ah, those were the days.

3. On the other hand, can you think of an especially favorite art supply that you miss the most that has unfortunately left us for that big art supply heaven in the sky?

I still mourn the passing of Bestine. Long after I stopped using it to thin Best-Test One-Coat cement, I found it indispensible for removing price stickers. Nothing else worked so well (or caused so much cancer!). I bought some of the new non-carcinogenic stuff, but it's not the same. There's nothing like the smell of highly volatile petrochemicals seeping into your lungs. Kids today don't know what they're missing.

4. Are there any other art supplies that you've just plain thrown away that you wish you still had?

No! I never throw anything away. That's my problem. I've still got all of my old art supplies in case I get an assignment. Rummaging in my drawers (of my desk) I found my original kneaded eraser that came with my Jon Gnagy Learn-To-Draw-Kit, circa 1962. The charcoal and paper stomp are long gone, but the kneaded eraser still remains. I guess I really "kneaded" it, huh?

5. At one time or another, a lot of us have purchased something that we thought was soooo cool when we saw it at the art supply store, then we ended up never ever using it. Has this ever happened to you?

For me it was probably the Ames Lettering Guide. Not the most expensive product I bought (about a buck seventy-five if I recall) but one of the most disappointing. I bought it with the best intentions of becoming a Famous Professional Letterer. But I didn't realize it took hard work and talent - two things that were in short supply. I may have used it once, or not at all. Of course, I still have it, just in case I suddenly become talented or find the patience to practice.

"My Most Unforgettable Art Supply Moment" is a series of short interviews with seasoned artists who have survived substantial combat in the great war of the graphic arts. Each participant was asked the same five questions.

Mary Zisk is art director at Strategic Finance magazine. In her own words, "I've been the art director for such defunct magazines as Quest ’78, Science Digest, PC Magazine and Art&Antiques. I hope my jinx doesn’t affect my current job at Strategic Finance. She adds that she's won many awards "only because I've hired mega-talented illustrators who make me look good." Learn a lot more about Mary and her work at www.maryzisk.com.

1. Can you recall for us your worst most unforgettable art supply experience?

I had just started my first job at Scholastic Magazines, fresh from Ohio University. The OU graphic design department prepared us for creative ideas, but not mechanical skills. Our only piece of equipment was a lucigraph that wailed like a cat. At work, my boss asked me to cut an amberlith for a mechanical. I had never seen the stuff, but I cheerfully cut away. I did an excellent job of cutting right through the film AND the acetate. It was less of a disaster and more the humiliation of a novice. Ultimately, I grew to enjoy the way a knife slipped through the amber film.

2. Other than your first answer, is there an art supply that you’ve hated having to use more than any other?

I never liked using a ruling pen to render type, but that’s because of my incompetence, and not the fault of the pen. Although, I was happy when rapidiographs appeared.

3. On the other hand, can you think of an especially favorite art supply that you miss the most that has unfortunately left us for that big art supply heaven in the sky?

This is actually a kind of gross art supply—the rubber cement pickup. I loved it’s squishy texture, and the squeaks it made as it did its job. But then rubber cement would accumulate around the edges like black boogers.

Also, I loved Lettraset. For doing projects in college, a sheet of Lettraset was like gold because it was so expensive ($1.00/sheet). So when I got to my first job, and saw stacks and stacks of typeface boxes, I was in heaven. The choices were unlimited. I thrilled at using the silver ball end of a burnisher and then doing the second burnish using the white flat plastic end, with that baby blue non-stick sheet protecting the type. I loved the challenge of creating a missing letter using pieces of other letters and an Xacto knife. That said, once you use Mac, you never go back.

4. Are there any other art supplies that you’ve just plain thrown away that you wish you still had?

I don’t throw much away. I thought for sure I’d find a rubber cement pickup, but no. Anyone want a hand waxer?

5. At one time or another, a lot of us have purchased something that we thought was soooo cool when we saw it at the art supply store, then we ended up never ever using it. Has this ever happened to you?

I bought a hand mat cutter that cuts at an angle to make a bevel. But it terrified me. I had flashbacks to when I cut off a sliver of my finger tip when cutting a mat. The price tag is still on the cutter.

"My Most Unforgettable Art Supply Moment" is a series of short interviews with seasoned artists who have survived substantial combat in the great war of the graphic arts. Each participant was asked the same five questions.

One day, illustrator Mike Moran hopes to play first base for the New York Mets and be a songwriter. In the meantime, he's been working successfully at the art of having fun, drawing and animating his art for almost 30 years for what he calls "some really neat clients." His lively illustrations have been commissioned by the likes of Disney, Major League Baseball, Scholastic, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Reader's Digest, American Greetings, and, yes, even Purina Puppy Chow. Much of his artistic passion leans heavily toward illustrating children's books, and his latest, Poopendous!, will hit the bookstores in March. He resides in Florham Park NJ with his wife Kristin, and two sons, Patrick and Matthew. See lots of Mike's work at www.mikemoran.net and on his blog at Drawger.com.

1. Can you recall for us your worst most unforgettable art supply experience?

I would use a Crow Quill pen nib to outline my illustrations. Every now and then I would drop the pen point on my hand or spear it. Not only did it hurt it would leave little dotted tattoo ink marks in my skin. Since I've gone to the computer they seem to have faded except one on my right hand middle finger, a perfect place for it!

2. Other than your first answer, is there an art supply that you’ve hated having to use more than any other?

Anything to do with Rubber Cement! Rubber Cement, Rubber Cement Thinner and Rubber Cement Pick-Up Erasers. Hated the smells and how dirty & gross the pick-ups would get.

3. On the other hand, can you think of an especially favorite art supply that you miss the most that has unfortunately left us for that big art supply heaven in the sky?

Rub on letters! As a illustrator I never really had a need for them but love to buy them!

4. Are there any other art supplies that you’ve just plain thrown away that you wish you still had?

It's been so long I can't say I miss anything!

5. At one time or another, a lot of us have purchased something that we thought was soooo cool when we saw it at the art supply store, then we ended up never ever using it. Has this ever happened to you?

"My Most Unforgettable Art Supply Moment" is a series of short interviews with seasoned artists who have survived substantial combat in the great war of the graphic arts. Each participant was asked the same five questions.

Award-winning Canadian artist Doug Fraser describes his work as "brutal sign painting, comic book social realism, and or specific generics." After having attained a Masters Degree from School of Visual Arts in New York City, he has enjoyed a long successful career as an illustrator for such diverse clients as The New York Times, the Washington Post, Time Magazine, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, Motor Trend, the NHL, IBM and Levi's.

Recently, however, the need to shift away from the ubiquitous burden of client constraints that comes with illustrator territory has led him toward an intense personal immersion into his other passion (besides motorcycles!), namely painting. He now resides in Victoria, British Columbia, with his wife Linda, where he is represented by Winchester Galleries.

1. Can you recall for us your worst most unforgettable art supply experience?

My worst art supply memory – well, at least that I can remember -- was with frisket. After working for what seemed like days on an airbrush piece, I slowly pulled the damn stuff back to look at what was the most disgusting edge possible. I was crestfallen. The airbrush always drew me in with it's promise of mechanical perfection, but it was frisket that destroyed my vision. I hate masking anything to this day!

2. Other than your first answer, is there an art supply that you’ve hated having to use more than any other?

Chalks, and/or oil pastels. Yeesh! Those two things just frustrated the hell out of me. I had a comp/rendering class back in college. We were to render products with felt markers, and chalks. It's a skill that only a few in our class went on to perfect after years of practice. Most of them are doing other tasks today. I think we all poured over local furniture flyers and the pages of Road & Track magazine, looking at the car renderings. The damn markers bled so much, too! As for oil pastels.... I tried em' several times, and, well, it wasn't pretty.

3. On the other hand, can you think of an especially favorite art supply that you miss the most that has unfortunately left us for that big art supply heaven in the sky?

No, not really. most of the crappy stuff lives on in niche markets, and waits to demoralize some new victim. Wait! Oh, never mind.....

4. Are there any other art supplies that you’ve just plain thrown away that you wish you still had?

Gouache. I enjoyed the rich opacity of the colors. Just never liked how sensitive they are to handling. They do have their virtues though for flat opaque color.

5. At one time or another, a lot of us have purchased something that we thought was soooo cool when we saw it at the art supply store, then we ended up never ever using it. Has this ever happened to you?

It was a drafting item I used for graphics: a flexible curve/ruler. Dumb blue thing that took more time to use than just drawing it. If needed, I preferred a good set of french curves.